Benjamin Watson lined up just to the outside of the left tackle on one play. Josh Hill was split wide on another. Both followed their assignments during a recent New Orleans Saints offseason practice.

Saints coaches insist they have asked the tight ends to do everything Jimmy Graham would have if he and the team were not in the middle of a contract dispute that has caused him to stay away from practices.

"Some other guys are getting reps, but as far as what we are installing and what we are doing, it's not changing," Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said.

The Saints completed their second round of OTAs Thursday, and the team will hold three minicamp practices open to the public next week starting Tuesday in Metairie.

Graham will likely miss those practices unless he and the Saints reach an unexpected resolution before a grievance hearing scheduled for June 17. His continued absence will give the four other tight ends on the 90-man roster more chances in practice.

"It's just one more rep a piece while we're going through our team period," Saints tight end coach Terry Malone said.

There certainly is no replacing the 6-foot-7 Graham. He has accounted for 88.9 percent of the receiving yards and more than four-fifths of the scoring from Saints' tight ends over the last three seasons, counting playoffs.

He has 286 catches since the start of the 2011 season, counting playoffs. Seven other tight ends have combined for 51 catches. Graham has 39 touchdowns. Four other tight ends have combined for eight.

"There are some things certainly (Graham) would do if he was here," Malone said.

Watson and Hill were with the Saints in 2013 and have participated in OTAs along with non-drafted rookies Nic Jacobs and Je'Ron Hamm.

Practice snaps appear to have been meted out relatively equally. Ten-year veteran Watson and second-year player Hill both took first-team snaps during the most recent OTA practice Thursday.

Jacobs, who played last season at McNeese State following a transfer from LSU, and Hamm, from Louisiana-Monroe, worked with backup units.

Tight ends had few passes thrown their way, although Jacobs did catch a pass in the right flat from former Tulane quarterback Ryan Griffin as he ran the second-team unit.

"I think it's real important to be careful to not all of a sudden come off a practice like (Thursday) and see that Ben Watson had 38 team snaps," Saints coach Sean Payton said as he used a hypothetical number higher than Watson's actual snap count. "He doesn't need that many. During this time of the year we are trying to make sure guys are all receiving opportunities to get familiar with the system, but both Ben and Josh know what we are doing and are going to be important to us this upcoming fall."

Watson served as the primary pass-catching option behind Graham with 19 catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns in 2013. Hill caught six passes for 44 yards, and he scored a touchdown on a 3-yard pass by Drew Brees against the San Francisco 49ers last season.

Malone said only so much can be gleaned from this time of year because "we don't have pads on right now, so it's hard to share the entire football lesson."

Watson said tight ends at practice and in meetings do the same without Graham as they would with him.

"It honestly doesn't mean much for everybody else," he said about Graham's absence. "We still go about our job the same way as if he was here. It's a great opportunity in OTAs to get our feet back into it, refresh some things we already know, but also learn some things and get the timing down.

"When you're away from it for even a few weeks, there's always a reintroduction process. That's what we're going through now."

Watson said he has occasionally communicated with Graham during the offseason.

"I know he's doing his best to stay in shape and keep working out," Watson said. "I know he'll be ready when the time comes. ... There is a business side of football, as we all know."

This time is year "is not super competitive," Watson said. "It's more learning. Once training camp opens, that's when it will get competitive."